To navigate through the Ribbon, use standard browser navigation keys. To skip between groups, use Ctrl+LEFT or Ctrl+RIGHT. To jump to the first Ribbon tab use Ctrl+[. To jump to the last selected command use Ctrl+]. To activate a command, use Enter.

Two entomology graduate students at UC Davis have received 2010 William Hazeltine Memorial Research Fellowship Awards to support their mosquito research -- one project involving a mosquito that transmits West Nile virus and the other, a mosquito that transmits malaria.

Tara Thiemann, a doctoral candidate studying with major professor William Reisen, received $2100 for her statewide research on bloodfeeding patterns of Culex mosquitoes. She studies both urban and rural populations of mosquitoes and their host meals.

Jenny Carlson, an incoming doctoral student who will be studying with major professor Anton Cornel, received $2000 for her research on avian malaria parasites, which will involve studies in West Africa.

A member of the UCD Entomology Graduate Program since 2004, Thiemann received her bachelor's and master's degree in biology from Truman State University, Kirksville, Mo.

Carlson's research will take her to West Africa where she will collect mosquito and avian blood samples to study the mechanisms of malaria parasite transmission. She hypothesizes that the diversity of mosquito and avian parasites will be lower in deforested areas than forested areas.

The annual Hazeltine awards single out student research that is of a practical nature and is designed to help solve problems in the area of mosquito and vector control. The intent is to encourage students to prepare for and become contributors in the field of applied public health entomology.

The award memorializes William "Bill" Hazeltine (1926-1994), who managed the Lake County Mosquito Abatement District from 1961-64 and the Butte County Mosquito Abatement District from 1966-1992. He was an ardent supporter of the judicious use of public health pesticides to protect public health. He continued work on related projects until his death in 1994.

Hazeltine studied entomology in the UC Berkeley graduate program from 1950-53, and received his doctorate in entomology from Purdue University in 1962.

He maintained close ties with UCD entomologists. Medical entomologist Bruce Eldridge of UCD eulogized him at the 2005 American Mosquito Control Association conference. His talk was later published in the Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association.

Helping with the memorial award are Hazeltine's three sons: Lee of Woodland; Craig of Scottsdale, Ariz.; and Jeff of Los Angeles.